Xie Gutang did not ask for further reasons. Seeing that Qin Wanwan had made up her mind, he simply nodded and said no more.
“Then I’ll come find you tomorrow,” Xie Gutang said, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back first.”
“Get some rest.”
Qin Wanwan sent Xie Gutang to the door. As they reached the threshold, Xie Gutang pressed his lips together, hesitated, and turned back. Qin Wanwan was momentarily stunned, and in that fleeting moment, she caught a faint fragrance emanating from Xie Gutang. Her thoughts momentarily scattered, and she heard Xie Gutang speak, somewhat embarrassed: “Then, tomorrow, I’ll come find you to practice swordsmanship in the morning, if that’s alright?”
“Oh.” Qin Wanwan’s heart skipped a beat.
Is he asking her out?
It was the first time a man had asked her out so directly. She felt a little nervous!
Not wanting to appear careless, she quickly nodded and replied, “Of course, that’s fine for me.”
“That’s great,” Xie Gutang smiled: “I wonder if the Senior would come to offer some guidance?”
Qin Wanwan’s restless heart suddenly calmed down. Looking at the young man’s handsome face, with a smile that could captivate anyone, Qin Wanwan raised a smile of her own and said gently, “It depends on fate.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she slammed the door with a ‘bang’. When she turned around, she was startled to see a young man in blue brocade sitting casually on the windowsill. Once she realized who it was, she patted her chest and said, “Master, if you’re coming in, could you please use the front door?”
“I’m afraid of disturbing you,”
Jian Xingzhi sat leaning against the window. Glancing inside the room, he asked casually: “Xie Gutang left just like that? Didn’t he want to say a few more words?”
“There’s nothing more to stay for after we finished talking,” Qin Wanwan said, glancing at Jian Xingzhi who was still perched on the windowsill: “Master, why aren’t you resting?”
“I,” Jian Xingzhi was momentarily caught off guard by the question. He stammered, “I just came to check how your injury is.”
As he spoke, Jian Xingzhi felt as if he’d found a reasonable excuse. He jumped down from the windowsill, then pulled Qin Wanwan’s arm over to inspect the injury that Xie Gutang had bandaged.
The wounds were caused by spells and couldn’t be fully healed by Chun Sheng. Jian Xingzhi took a look and was immediately displeased. Without waiting for Qin Wanwan to speak, he decisively started to remove the bandages, muttering as he did, “A sword cultivator can’t even bandage a wound properly? What has he been doing for the past two hundred years?”
As he spoke, Jian Xingzhi rewrapped Qin Wanwan’s wound. His bandaging was more meticulous than Xie Gutang’s, and when he finished, he even tied a small bow. He looked at his work with satisfaction: “See, this looks much better, doesn’t it?”
“Mm.”
Qin Wanwan thought it didn’t make much of a difference, but she never liked to discourage others, so she smiled and said, “Master bandaged it very well.”
“Right?”
Jian Xingzhi, now in a good mood, looked up and blurted out without thinking, “From now on, it’ll have to be me who bandages you. No one else can do it.”
Qin Wanwan was stunned, and Jian Xingzhi also inexplicably felt that his words sounded wrong. He quickly tried to make an excuse: “It’s not that it’s impossible to make do with someone else. What I mean is…”
Jian Xingzhi thought hard for a moment, unsure how to express himself. In the end, he simply gave up, looked at her seriously and said, “Master must always be the most important to you.”
“Oh,” Qin Wanwan was a bit bewildered by Jian Xingzhi’s rambling, but she still pretended to understand: “I know.”
“It’s good that you know,” Jian Xingzhi let out a sigh of relief. “Just don’t forget your master after having a man.”
“Master can rest assured,” Qin Wanwan understood Jian Xingzhi’s meaning. She affectionately held his hand with hers, which were wrapped up like a boxing glove, and said, “I will definitely be sure to be filial to you.”
Jian Xingzhi was deeply moved. Hearing her promising to be filial to him, he felt somewhat reassured, but he still felt something was off. With one hand behind his back and the other still holding Qin Wanwan’s hand, he tried to sound wise: “With your heart in the right place, Master can rest easy.”
“Well, if you don’t have anything else, Master,” Qin Wanwan lifted her hand and pointed to the door, “shouldn’t you head back and get some rest?”
“Mm.”
Jian Xingzhi nodded, then without hesitation, walked in the opposite direction of where Qin Wanwan had pointed, leaned on the window, and with a leap, flipped over the wall and disappeared.
Qin Wanwan couldn’t quite understand how Jian Xingzhi had developed the habit of climbing through windows. Just as she was about to close the window, she saw him return, suddenly poking his head back through the gap and looking at her seriously: “Don’t set up a barrier around you while talking. It makes me feel really uneasy.”
Having said that, without waiting Qin Wanwan to respond, he swiftly leapt back into his own room like the wind and slammed the window shut with a ‘bang’, as if afraid she might chase after him.
Qin Wanwan paused for a moment before realizing what Jian Xingzhi had meant. She rolled her eyes, closed the window, and muttered under her breath, “Childish.”
That kind of petty possessiveness was something she hadn’t dealt with since elementary school.
“I think…”
In response to Qin Wanwan’s comment, 38 hesitated before speaking up, “Maybe he’s not being childish, but mature.”
“Hmm?”
Qin Wanwan didn’t understand: “What mature?”
“Just…” 38 hinted very obscurely, “He may have grown up.”
“Speak human language.”
Qin Wanwan commanded directly, and 38 gave up, simply telling her, “You should rest. You need to practice swordsmanship tomorrow morning.”
Qin Wanwan understood that the system had its limitations and wouldn’t speak directly on certain things. She was also too lazy to delve deeper. After all, whatever Jian Xingzhi was thinking specifically had nothing to do with her grand plans for ascension.
She lay back down on the bed, hesitating for a moment between cultivating or sleeping. In the end, she peacefully closed her eyes.
If she sleeps well, only then can she have the strength to cultivate.
She fell into a deep sleep, and before the sky had even brightened, she heard a knock on the door from outside: “Wanwan.”
Xie Gutang’s gentle voice came from outside the door. Qin Wanwan hadn’t opened her eyes yet, but Jian Xingzhi instantly woke up on his bed.
He lay there with his eyes wide open, feeling somewhat anxious as he pulled the blanket tightly around himself.
He didn’t even know what he was anxious about, his mind was full of hesitation about whether or not he should go out.
Xie Gutang actively invited Qin Wanwan, which was a major step forward in their relationship and a joyful and celebratory event.
Logically speaking, he shouldn’t interfere, but why did he feel such a strong urge to go and see?
Jian Xingzhi lay on the bed, hesitating over whether or not he should go out and ‘accidentally’ run into Xie Gutang. Meanwhile, Qin Wanwan was woken up by Xie Gutang’s call. Rubbing her eyes, she opened the door and saw Xie Gutang standing there with a long sword in hand, looking like morning dew. He smiled warmly and asked, “Has your injury gotten better? Would you like to practice swordsmanship together?”
The cold wind blew, instantly waking Qin Wanwan’s mind. She remembered that she still had matters for Xie Gutang to handle, and there was no reason to refuse his request. She quickly nodded and said, “Wait a moment.”
After speaking, she quickly washed up and immediately stepped out the door.
Xie Gutang glanced longingly at the door to Jian Xingzhi’s room: “I wonder if Senior…”
“Let’s go.”
Qin Wanwan remembered that yesterday Jian Xingzhi had used the Chun Sheng heart technique to repair his whole body. Although Chun Sheng was a healing method, it was extremely exhausting, and he definitely needed to rest. Not wanting to disturb him, she tugged Xie Gutang along and walked farther away: “Don’t disturb his sleep.”
Jian Xingzhi lay on the bed, listening to the conversation of the two outside and heard them walk farther away. Then, he suddenly heard the sound of ‘ding’, signaling the arrival of points.
【Congratulations, +5 points!】
Jian Xingzhi: “…..”
Jian Xingzhi felt that the timing of these points was a bit strange.
Lying on the bed, he wanted to get some sleep, but after thinking about it left and right, he just couldn’t resist.
He had to go and see the situation.
He thought to himself that Qin Wanwan wouldn’t be able to handle Xie Gutang on her own. He needed to observe them and offer Qin Wanwan some advice.
After coming up with an excuse, Jian Xingzhi didn’t hesitate and quickly got up before hurrying out. He used a spell to conceal his presence and crouched behind the bushes, watching as Qin Wanwan and Xie Gutang practiced swordsmanship.
Qin Wanwan had won the preliminary round, and in the next round, she would face those who had won ten consecutive matches in the final to become the Sovereign Sword. Xie Gutang sparring with her now was also a form of training.
After all, the gap between Jian Xingzhi and her was too wide. Only by sparring with opponents of different skill levels could she grow faster.
Jian Xingzhi also understood this reasoning as well. He squatted silently behind the bushes, quietly observing them.
Qin Wanwan’s injuries hadn’t fully healed yet, so Xie Gutang focused on discussing with her the sword techniques that Jian Xingzhi had taught her. He deliberately held back in terms of strength and speed to accommodate her.
As the two sparred, they also discussed the day’s plans.
“Today, we’ll go out first, quietly follow him, and decide how to catch him after we understand him thoroughly.”
Qin Wanwan and Xie Gutang discussed their plan as they passed each other. Xie Gutang raised his hand and swung his sword, letting it skim over her head, and said, “Why not just do it?”
“We’re capturing him for information,” Qin Wanwan replied, swinging her sword at Xie Gutang’s hand: “We need to know his background and then take action, there’s a higher chance of getting the information this way. And if we can directly gather the news, even better.”
“I see.”
Xie Gutang responded, and the words of the two reached Jian Xingzhi’s ears. He listened carefully, only to realize he couldn’t understand what they were talking about.
Unable to help himself, he squeezed the small branches in front of him.
His little disciple and Xie Gutang seemed to have some secret he didn’t know about!
Just yesterday she swore that he, her Master, was the most important to her. And she even promised to be filial to him in the future!
But he knew this wasn’t the time to interrupt. He held back his agitated heart and let Qin Wanwan develop her relationship with Xie Gutang.
As the sky gradually brightened and morning approached, people began to wake up one by one.
Jun Shu was the first to get up. He was responsible for cleaning the courtyard. In the past, he had never experienced this kind of life, but after spending a few days here, he had surprisingly begun to get used to it…
He skillfully picked up the broom and bucket, feeling a bit tired. Suddenly, the sound of swords clashing with each other reached his ears. He could vaguely hear a familiar female voice, and after a moment, Jun Shu instantly realized that it was Qin Wan!
He had heard yesterday that she was injured, but with his appearance now, he couldn’t see her so casually. He didn’t want Qin Wan to see him in his current miserable state. He had made up his mind to wait until he had regained his status before revealing himself. However, he couldn’t stop worrying, and had spent the entire night sleepless. Unexpectedly, he was able to see her today!
Jun Shu quickly grabbed the water bucket and broom before rushing over. Just as he was about to squeeze through and sneak a glance, he saw someone had already gotten there first, squatting behind the bushes and peeking at ‘Qin Wan’.
Jun Shu took a quick look and immediately recognized the sneaky figure crouching there. It was ‘Qin Wan’s’ male pet, ‘Jian Zhiyan’!
Now, he was using the alias Jian Xingzhi, even pretending to be ‘Qin Wan’s’ master, staying by her side day and night, which made it impossible for Jun Shu to get anywhere near her.
‘Qin Wan’ had always loved him deeply, until this ‘Jian Zhiyan’ appeared…
Thinking back to when ‘Qin Wan’ was at the Judgment Stage, she had originally never intended to stab herself. It was this male pet who forced her to break off her relationship with him and the Wen Xin Sect. Later, it was also this same man who took her away from the Wen Xin Sect. If it weren’t for him, ‘Qin Wan’ would still be the same ‘Qin Wan’ from back then, his fiancée, still deeply in love with him…
The more Jun Shu thought about it, the more his hatred grew. The fact that this man was still by ‘Qin Wan’s’ side only fueled his anger. He tightened his grip on the broom, wishing he could smash it over his head and be done with him.
But reason held him back from acting on his impulse. Even at the height of his power, he had been played around by this male pet, what more now, in his current state?
He couldn’t act impulsively.
Jun Shu suppressed his emotions and observed them carefully. Soon, he realized something was wrong.
This male pet seemed unusually nervous, while ‘Qin Wan’ and Xie Gutang were smiling and chatting happily…
Could it be… that this male pet was losing favor?
As soon as Jun Shu considered this possibility, he immediately realized that his chance had come.
Xie Gutang cultivated the Dao of Heart Sword, which originally didn’t have much competitive edge, but this male pet was unaware of that. Now, he has misunderstood the relationship between ‘Qin Wan’ and Xie Gutang, and is currently harboring suspicions. If he (Jun Shu) were to step forward and provoke this male pet, causing him and Xie Gutang to fight each other, that would be perfect. If the male pet killed Xie Gutang, ‘Qin Wan’ would certainly not let him off. If Xie Gutang killed the male pet, that’s even better and the best possible outcome!
As Jun Shu thought it through, his heart surged with excitement. A brilliant plan had quietly formed in his mind. He set down the water bucket, gripped the broom tightly, and walked confidently toward Jian Xingzhi.
Jian Xingzhi watched as Qin Wanwan sparred with Xie Gutang. At first, he was still thinking about Qin Wanwan, but soon he was drawn in by the swordplay, his attention was why his disciple couldn’t just strike Xie Gutang down with a single sword move.
He watched intently, thinking about how he would develop a further training plan for Qin Wanwan later. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn’t realize someone was approaching him. He suddenly sensed someone squatting beside him.
Jian Xingzhi glanced coldly and saw that old man ‘Wuming’ squatting beside him, with a weird smile on his face.
As soon as ‘Wuming’ approached, a barrier appeared around them. Jian Xingzhi knew that this person possessed a rare treasure capable of concealing their presence, so he wasn’t surprised. He simply asked, “What do you want?”
“Must be very frustrating, right?”
Jun Shu looked at him with a face full of sympathy.
Jian Xingzhi frowned: “Hmm?”
“Xie Gutang is the Senior disciple of the Tian Jian Sect. He has noble status, and his swordsmanship is extraordinary. He’s the perfect match for Miss Qin. And you, a mere wandering cultivator, how can you possibly compete with him?”
Jun Shu spoke, thinking to himself that the one thing Jian Xingzhi couldn’t boast of was his background. No matter how extraordinary his cultivation was, he was still just a male pet. Jun Shu was determined to hit where it hurt, to completely destroy his self-esteem.
Jian Xingzhi was full of question marks: “What do you mean?”
He’s getting anxious.
Jun Shu thought so, feeling even more confident in his judgment, and continued to fan the flames: “Relying only on beauty to keep someone’s attention will never last. Without some tricks, how can you keep the one you love?”
Jun Shu said, raising his hand to point at Qin Wanwan: “I’ll show you a clear path. Are you willing to listen?”
Jian Xingzhi remained silent. He looked at the crazy old man, then glanced at Qin Wanwan. Although he didn’t fully understand what the old man was talking about, he vaguely sensed that the old man was up to something.
“What clear path?”
Jian Xingzhi decided to play along, hoping to figure out the old man’s intentions.
Jun Shu smiled confidently, sure enough, this idiot took the bait.
“As long as you listen to me,” Jun Shu leaned in closer and said mysteriously, “I will teach you how to defeat Xie Gutang.”
Hearing this, Jian Xingzhi thought this old man was a fool.
Did he need to listen to this old man’s advice to defeat Xie Gutong?
If he were in his original body, dealing with Xie Gutong would be as simple as a single sword strike.
But thinking it over, this old man seemed to be targeting Xie Gutang. Jian Xingzhi still needed to figure out what the old man was really up to. Therefore, he adjusted his expression and turned his head. “Go ahead, I’m listening. Tell me how I can defeat him.”
Author has something to say:
Let me sort out the characters for you:
Jian Zhiyan: The male pet of the female lead Qin Wan in the original book, and the person whom the male protagonist, Jian Xingzhi, transmigrated into.
Jian Xingzhi: The male protagonist.
Lin Yanzhi: Divine Daoist Lord Mingjing, originally named ‘Ning Yanzhi’, just changed his surname.
Ning Buxiu: The fish raised by the original female lead, Su Yueli. He’s the one who spent only 15 minutes to do xx with her in her Sea of Consciousness. He is the legitimate son of Ning Wenxu.
Ning Buyan: Ning Buxiu’s cousin, a cultivator at the Tribulation Stage. He participated in the Flower Banquet Competition for the most beautiful male pet in Guicheng. Coughing all the year round, with a frail and sickly appearance.
Ning Wenxu: The head of the Ning family, and Lin Yanzhi’s father.
Ning’s Ancestor: He has no name yet, just referred to as the Ancestor. He’s the father of Ning Wenxu, and is the elderly man whom the male and female protagonists rescued from a curse after emerging from a secret passage.
Huihe: The name called out by the Ning’s Ancestor when the male and female protagonists rescued him.
Shen Zhiming: The Master of Su Yueli and Qin Wan, the sect leader of Wen Xin Sect, who carries a Demon Seed.
Jun Shu: Qin Wan’s fiancé, the young master of Lecheng.
Song Xinian: Qin Wan’s eldest Senior Brother and Shen Zhiming’s top disciple.
